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The differences between technical support specialists and help desk specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a technical support specialist and a help desk specialist. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $48,667 average annual salary of a technical support specialist.
The top three skills for a technical support specialist include customer service, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a help desk specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Technical Support Specialist | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,667 | $51,065 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $24.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,425 | 75,004 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.6 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer's and businesses' concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of system applications, including software and hardware database to handle complex processes that might affect the end user's experience or the business' daily operations. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks.
The primary role of help desk specialists is to maintain relationships between the company and its customers. Their duties and responsibilities include responding to guests' queries, providing technical computer support, and maintaining computer systems' performance. Help desk specialists are also responsible for following up with customers to resolve issues and train computer users. There are several requirements to be qualified for this position, which include having relevant customer service experience, problem-solving and analytical skills, and the ability to prioritize vital tasks.
Technical support specialists and help desk specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Specialist | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Average salary | $48,667 | $51,065 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $76,000 | Between $35,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Meta | Schulte Roth & Zabel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support specialist and a help desk specialist in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Specialist | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical support specialists' and help desk specialists' demographics:
| Technical Support Specialist | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |